


Stalker series

by MrKrabs1252



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, beta/reader - Freeform, betatwd/reader, the walking dead - Freeform, the walking dead imagines, the walking dead x reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:15:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22746901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrKrabs1252/pseuds/MrKrabs1252
Summary: Beta falls helplessly in love with a girl from Hilltop and follows her around to make sure she's safe but when he intervenes during a fight in which she freaks out, he has to snatch her up to prevent the discovery of him and the whisperers but instead hides her away from both groups
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

Loud bird calling disrupts your peaceful slumber and you stretch as you untuck yourself from the sheets and blankets of your shared room with your older brother, Jesus.

"God I thought you'd never wake up!" Jesus laughs as he sinks his teeth into an apple and throw the one in his other hand to you.

You snatch the apple from the air and laugh before sinking your teeth into the apple. "Why did you really wait for me to wake up?"

"I have a run tomorrow, by myself"

"Paul-"

"It's gonna be one day! A quick out at sunrise and back before the sun sets."

"Paul, no! We've talked about this on several occasions," You set the apple down and pull on some jeans with a flannel. "You're not going anywhere alone, period."

"Y/N, come on! Listen to me, if I'm not back by the time the sun starts setting, come out and find me Y/N. I'm gonna be okay, I promise."

You think it over for a second and sigh softly. "Don't make me come looking for you."

"I won't. It's a quick grab of a truck and then I'll be back with the truck, so I'll be home faster them you think.

A small smile finds your face and you turn away from Jesus and grab some socks out of the drawer. "Well I mean, do you wanna do a quick run with me today? There's this cute little convenient store down the road from that trail near that meadow where we found Tyler."

"I have to help out in the garden today, Paul." Jesus pouts and crosses his arms. "Fine, but you have to talk to that asshole."

"Yes! I'll go do that now."

When he's gone and the room falls silent, dread fills your chest. You didn't really like leaving the walls anymore and nothing traumatic really happened, you just feared for your and your brother's safety. Sure you were both quick on your feet and smarter then those rotting corpses but there was always the chance that one of you could trip and then you'd quickly become walker chow. There was also that dreadful feeling if constantly being watched by something other then walkers, maybe people hidden in the woods but you never really bothered figuring it out.

It takes about 2 hours for Paul to talk to Gregory and the boss of the gardens. He excitedly went to tell you, but you were no where in the room. He races outside and but doesn't see you with any of the commoners. His heart flutters and he almost panics till he sees you talking to one of the pregnant woman by the front gate. He makes his way over and you smile as he approaches you 2.

"Hey Y/N, Casey." He greets you both with a relaxed smile.

"Are you 2 going out?" Casey asks rubbing her swollen belly in an almost soothing way.

"Yeah, just a quick run to a nearby store then we'll be back. About 6 hours at the most." Casey smiles as her baby's feet press against her.

"Alright, I'll let you 2 go. As long as you promise to safely return. I wanna make sure you guys meet little Alex."

You and Paul say your farewells and he whistles for someone to open the gate for you. After getting a few feet from the gates, a smile breaks out in your face. "I seen you freaking out when you ran outside. You're not slick Paul, I see right through your calm demeanor."

"I was not! I was just...."

"Speechless because I'm right." You taunt your brother before punching his arm. He just chuckles as you dance ahead of him.

The smell of the outside world beyond the gates makes you undeniably happy. The smell of honey suckles, pine trees and dried red dirt from rain showers a few days back. Birds scream from the tree tops, the occasional frog chirping and the crunch of leaves beneath both your feet.

Everything almost seems so normal for you. Almost.

The silence between the 2 of you, is absolutely deafening and you couldn't care any less. It seemed the world had finally went back to normal, no walkers or sickness. There was nothing at the point in time, the only thing that existed was you and your brother.

Butterflies dance around bushes and even a few wildlife creatures run out or stop to stare. You lose yourself, you finally remembered what it's like to be... calm. While basking in the glow of the less lethal part of the world, you almost didn't hear it.

In a flash, you're behind a tree with your brother. The unmistakable sound of zombies growling at nothing for now. The walkers stumble past and Paul keeps a close eye on the tiny heard of maybe 20 walkers walking by your hiding spot. When you peek out, one immediately catches your attention. It's huge.

It towers over all the other walkers and is wider then any of them. Even his face somehow looks torn from his large his body is. His hair covers the tears in his face and you shiver when you finally see his even bigger feet slamming against the ground. He's stepping so hard, you're surprised his rotten legs haven't broken yet.

For a split second your heart slows to a stop when you think your eyes meet his. You think he's gonna growl and alert the other walkers of your existence but apperently he didn't see you because he keeps walking and looking for anything to stop and eat.

Once the herd is far gone, a shocked Paul is sitting against a tree and running his nimble and shaking hands through his brown hair. He tosses his head back and closes his blue eyes. "It looked right at you!" So this is what he's fussing about.

"I can assure you; it didn't. It looked in my direction not at me Paul, I would know."

His worried eyes meet yours and you know there's more to discuss but you don't wanna push him. "Are you sure it was even a walker?"

You didn't think about it and now you're not so sure. Those bright pink lips were full of life and those blue eyes didn't look dead and dull. The spilts in his face and raggedy hair said otherwise but it confused the hell out of you and you didn't wanna freak out Paul anymore then he already was.

"Yes, it looked really gross, that's how I know."

A small smile finds Paul's lips and and he stands up from his spot. "I think we should head back and forget this. No telling how many of those things are hanging around here."

"No way! You promised me an outing! Plus you know how freaked Gregory would be if we didn't actually go." You tease and start walking towards the way you 2 were headed and Paul rolls his eyes before following close behind you.

"Okay, as long as we're careful."

"I always am, Paul."

You both leave the hiding spot, unaware of the eyes burning into your backs from the huge man standing nearby. He quickly leaves the open area when you start to turn back and look for any walkers before continuing after Paul.

As Paul walks ahead of you, you notice something moving deep within the treeline but avoid telling him in case he freaks and takes you home. There's nothing to worry about anyway, it's just a dark blob far away from the walking trail.

When the 2 of you come over the hill, Paul tackles you to the ground. 13 or so walkers gently sway back and forth, unbothered by anything and they snarl quietly to one another. You heart races when as you quickly scoot down the hill and race away from the walkers, a loud branch cracks under your foot.

You both break into a sprint and sure enough the snarls of the walkers echo off through the woods again but you and Paul are way ahead of the tiny herd. Paul forgot how fast you 2 actually were until he saw you racing back to Hilltop by his side rather then behind him.

When you round the corner of the trail, 5 walkers turn their attention to you and Paul drags you into the woods, where that thing was that followed you but you're too focused on running and jumping over stuff.

Tree branches smack you in the face and cut your arms and face up. Your whole body in fact, is being wailed on by tree branches and brier patches.

As the gates come into view after you clear the treeline, Paul yells for the gates to be opened and you both stumble up the muddy hill. You're both panting and messy as you get inside the gates and when you're safe, you both tumble to the ground. "Run.... When it..... gets to..."

"Double digits." You finish for him and you both start giggling at the joke.

"What's the meaning of this?"

Paul jumps to his feet and clears his throat before ushering Gregory back to his house. "He's gonna get it one day." Michael says from his stand.

"Yeah maybe but Gregory will get his first." You sigh as you head to wash yourself off.

Walking is so much easier. Your brain complains as you enter the bedroom to collect some clothes. Your poor body is exhausted and ready for sleep. You gently scrub off your body with a rag before getting dressed again.

~~

You're not sure when you fell asleep last night but your sore body screams at you to stay put. You never knew what damage some tree could do to your body and getting tackled, didn't help.

You stand up and stretch out your sore muscles. You look around and spot a note on your tiny nightstand. It's obviously from Paul, considering he left early this morning while you were still asleep.

I'll be back before dusk. I remember the deal and told Gregory about it. ~with love, Paul.  
You smile and pin it to the board above your bed with the rest of the notes he's ever wrote you. You turn and look into the mirror in your room. Your hair is full of twigs and leaves. Your poor neck is covered with tiny welped up cuts and a few bruises litter your face.

You pull off your bed clothes and slip on some shorts and a bomb squad shirt. You walk downstairs then outside into the main area and people greet you with smiles. Not a strange thing but the smiles seem like they're full of pity rather then happiness. That feeling of dress fills your stomach as you make your way to the garden.

"Hey Rovia," George offers you a hug and you smile at him before letting him pull you into a hug. "Has anyone told you?"

"No," That feeling of dread fills your gut again. That lump in your throat won't go down and you feel tears building up in your eyes. "Is it Paul?"

A sigh leaves his lips and he looks up from the ground to meet your eyes. "I'm sorry sweetie."

"Is he...."

"Oh god, no! His walkie talkie cut out and has been nothing but static for the last 3 hours. Michael tagged along to make you feel better about him being alone but... they ran into a herd and Michael got bit then the walkie talkie went out and the last thing we heard was Paul screaming."

There it was; you had lost him. Tears falls over your waterline and George pulls you into a soft hug. Your crying gets the attention of a few gardeners but George waves them away and they all leave for the time being.

You hadn't even told him you loved him before he left this morning. Then your mind fills with pictures of a sobbing Casey, you pull away from George and cross your arms attempting to stop the heavy flow of tears.

"How's Casey?" You ask as your heart aches for Paul.

"She got so upset she went into labor. The baby is okay."

"But Casey?"

George shakes his head and you feel as if you might puke. The ache in your stomach grows so much that you gave to fall back against a bench to steady yourself. You place your hands on your face and cry softly.

"Y/N, they're going out soon to make sure what happened, happened. You're still welcome to go."

"Yeah I'll do that."

"Okay sweetie, go get ready for it. They're leaving in about an hour."

You leave your spot on the bench and walk toward the house. When you enter, Gregory is fussing about something to a worker you've never actually met, most likely something stupid no doubt but when he sees you, his voice falls to a whisper then nothing at all. The 2 man in the room watch you drag yourself to your room.

Once locked away inside the safety of your room, you slide to the floor and let sobs rip from your throat. Casey was gone, Michael was gone and now Paul was either lost or dead. This day couldn't get any worse and yet you knew it could.

You could go out in the woods and die yourself or worse, find your brother's body. What's left of it anyway. You drag yourself across the floor and grab some pants from the dresser. You slip the leather jacket over your arms and head back down the stairs. The room is still dead silent as you make your way outside.

There's a group of about 3 men and 2 women nearby the front gate and you jog over to them. You immediately recognize 2 or 3 of them. Harold, Kenny and you believe one's name is Sarah. Harold gives you a sad smile before you all head out of the gates.

After walking what seems like hours, Kenny makes you spilt into teams. 3 on each team, you being with Harold, a guy named Curtis and the other female, Emma. Both teams head off into the woods and your team doesn't really care and let's you lead the pack.

"I gotta stop for a minute." Curtis groans and the other 2 agree with him. "Okay I'm gonna go ahead and check if it's clear ahead of us."

As you walk away Curtis mumbles 'yeah you do that."

You start at a slow pace and eventually wind up almost jogging through the darkening forest. You hear Emma yelling for you to come back and that's when you hear it. Soft moaning and when you turn around, you're slammed into the ground quicker then you can think about what's happening, you hear your gun go off in it's holster.

Your vision blurs and you smell the dead corpse that's cracking it's teeth at you. A stinging pain is throbbing in your back and thigh. You see 6 more file out of the forest and you panic. 3 emerge from the brush and you know you're fucked.

That same walker then catches your attention. The huge one that resembles the hulk, only he's not a walker and you notice when he lifts a gun. The walker on top of you is the first to die. It's brains explode all over your face and you quickly scramble away to press yourself against a tree as continues killing the walkers.

When he's done, he turns to you and when he meets your eyes, he know he fucked up. Your eyes are wide with terror and he attempts to step forward but a loud wail frightens him back. You race away from him and in fear, he takes 3 strides and slams the gun against your head. You hit the ground with a loud thunk and he scans your tiny, compared to him that is, body.

You're tiny frame is laid across the ground. Blood trickles off your forehead onto the ground and Beta thinks he might've killed you but your chest rising up and falling, makes him think different.

He gently reaches down and brushes some hair away from the blood on your face. You're so beautiful and peaceful. He feels his heart swell at being this close to you.

"I think it came from over here!" Someone shouts and Beta starts to panic.

He snatches your unconscious body off the ground and runs. Your body bounces against his chest as he rushes away from the group you're out with. Beta keeps you hugged close as if you'll burst into a cloud of smoke and disappear. Once he's far enough away, he hides behind an oak tree that's thick enough to hide him. He glances down at you and a tiny smile tugs at his lips.

He got you.

Not the way he wanted but he still did. Then he starts running again, leaving the group behind that's desperately calling her name. They become faded cries in the distant as Beta picks up speed.


	2. chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beta falls helplessly in love with a girl from Hilltop and follows her around to make sure she's safe but when he intervenes during a fight in which she freaks out, he has to snatch her up to prevent the discovery of him and the whisperers but instead hides her away from both groups

Walkers growl all around him but he doesn't care, he's grown accustomed to the sounds that surround him on a daily basis. But what he hadn't expected was seeing you quickly rushing from different hiding spots to escape the sight of the tiny herd. He had seen you before but never this close and it made him almost crack a smile until Alpha “accidently” bumps him almost knocking him over.

“Focus.” She whispers.

But he can't with you so close by, especially if you might need help from getting attacked. He tries to focus but when he sees you again, you're holding the hand of another man and rushing into the woods. His heart drops and he keeps walking but Alpha notices his change in attitude.

“That's tough.”

Their camp over Hilltop had given him views over the people there and he had seen you prancing around with some of the younger kids and he quickly decided he loved how good with kids you were. He would sometimes wonder if you were of age and wished you weren't dating anyone.

Alpha had quickly discovered his infatuation with you and teased him about it which he would openly deny, saying he didn't even know you and it was stupid to assume he liked you from watching over your town. She would bring up that day in the town and mention how upset he was when he seen you with another man.

Beta never believed in love at first sight, he was convinced that was bullshit and people couldn't love each other after meeting eyes once. When he seen you, that was a totally different story and he knew it. He seen you and knew he was fucked. He loved to follow you and subtly protect you, when you left the walls that is. He loved you and he knew that but it hurt him that you didn't even know he existed.

You were so beautiful and he'd always try to get closer but the day you spotted him then thought he was a walker and flipped out, he started to distant himself so you wouldn't notice again. It didn't bother you much seeing him again considering walkers tend to stick to one area with food until taken down or lured away.

Beta had strong eyesight so he could see you from quite a bit away. He loved to hide in the woods and watch you walk by. Him being so big, it was hard to hide but he always managed.

When it rained one day while you were out, you both hid in the same cave and when you squeezed your shirt out, he couldn't stop staring at you tits that filled your bra up. He felt his pants tighten and he hated himself for looking at you like that without asking. Then once the rain stopped, you left him alone in the cave again and he rushed somewhere to take care of the not so little problem in his boxers.

He never thought he'd ever have a chance but here he was, staring at the girl of his dreams who was passed out on the floor of this raggedy house. The blankets under her were as clean as he could get them and the cuffs weren't too tight on her wrists. He shuffles closer to you and this still feels as if he's in a dream.

He wanted to kiss you. Your face was even more beautiful this close, more than he imagined. Everytime your lips parted to take a breath he found himself more intrigued with the woman in front of him.

To be honest, he was actually quite frightened. He hadn't been this close to you or any woman that wasn't a whisperer in years, probably even in almost 10 years. Sure before the apocalypse he seen a lot of beautiful women but for some reason, he felt a connection with you that he hadn't felt, ever.

He wouldn't kiss you, not now anyway. He would never violate you like that. But as your eyes begin to move under your eyelids, Beta backs off and watches you awaken from your slumber.

Your eyes open and it takes a second for your eyes to adjust. Your breathing is raspy and his heart thumps nervously until you cough quite loudly. Your eyes meet his from across the room.

And you scream.

He falls back on the floor and rushes to quiet your wailing. His hand presses firmly against your mouth and your nostril flare as he holds the back of your head too. The panic in your eyes is readable and would be yards away. Your eyes dart back and forth before you aggressively yank the handcuffs in attempt to hit him. He brushes hair from your face and you yank back away from him.

“You're sick.”

The terror in your voice makes his heart hurt but shakes his head and turns away from you. “You skin those things and wear their faces, you're a disgusting person. Why not put blood on yourself instead of skinning them like animals?”

As if the world doesn't want him to speak, thunder cracks outside and you jump. “Oh right, rain will wash off the smell.”

You look defeated until he starts to walk over and you start to kick your feet pushing yourself away. That's when you notice; you have no shoes on and your weapons are gone. Anger bubbles to the surface of your skin as he curiously stares you down and you attempt to spit on him but only getting his shoes.

Beta sits on the floor across the room and the only sound is thunder rumbling outside, lightning hitting the ground outside a few yards away and Beta’s knife. Beta cuts the floor with his huge knife, which the size of course, makes you visibly nervous.

“So what is this? You saved me just to kidnap me? Nice plan.”

Beta shakes his head and shoves the knife into its holder. You scoot back again as he walks past you. He leaves the room and when his footsteps disappear you start yanking the handcuffs again. You wrist starts to wiggle out of the cuffs when you notice a pool blood under your thigh and soaking into the ass of your jeans. These aren't your jeans you were wearing earlier.

It's not the right color to be period blood and you start freaking out when the pain kicks back it. It hurts so bad You start panting in agony and you wanna call him back into the room but you're almost free. You're not gonna get far like this anywhere but here is good. You slam your leg down too hard and cry out in pain. You start getting dizzy from the pain and even dry heave a few times.

You wanna cradle your throbbing leg but your hands are tied; literally. You hear footsteps approaching quickly and the door flies open. “Hey.”

You wanna punch yourself for sounding so absolutely pathetic but you're hurting and bleeding out. He drops the first aid kit on the floor and scoots closer extremely slow. That's when you notice he's doing it so he doesn't scare you again, making you hurt yourself worse. He reaches down toward the button of the jeans and you scoot away.

He sits back and watches your movements with careful eyes.

“You're not gonna do anything to me, are you?”

He shakes his head and you feel childish but you hold up a pinkie. His head cocks to the side like a puppy and you huff. “Pinky promise?”

He nods and reaches over, interlocking your pinkies together before reaching for your button again. When he pops it open, your face turns red as he drags them down your legs and tosses them to the side. He pulls off the dressing of the wound and you notice stitches on the top of your leg too. Reality hits and you feel stupid as fuck. You fucking shot yourself in the leg.

You huff and let your head fall back as he rolls your leg in his hands to clean off the blood. You let yourself drift in and out of consciousness. You're exhausted and when you feel something drag across the bottom of your ass you jolt awake and see him rubbing medical tap down below your ass. He sits back and removes the gloves then grabs the first aid kit before leaving the room again.

"Really," You scold yourself. "You look like a fucktard. You fucking shot yourself!"

"There's more important things to worry about than a bullet wound." Your subconscious whispers.

Your wrists are rubbed raw and blood blisters litter your skin. Your mind races with ideas of escaping and one pops above the rest. You take a loud in take of breath, loud enough for that man to hear and dramatically hit the floor.

If he hadn't hurt you yet then he didn't want you dead for obvious reasons; so maybe this would work.

You start flopping and sure enough you see the huge man rush back into the room. You had seen plenty of people have seizures over the years and it was quite easy to mimic the motions of having one. Drool slips out of the corner of your mouth and when he gets close enough to you, you ball your fists up and swing them at his head.

He almost dodges them but they catch his temple instead and when he falls over; you make your escape. You manage to close the door and pull a nearby chair against the handle to save some time. You move as fast as you can through the house with your bum leg and when you're out the door, you hear the chair clatter upstairs.

You clear the stairs as quickly as possible and make it to the ground before you hear him making his way to the front door. You start moving as fast as possible to get away from the house. You don't even make it to the forest line before the huge man grabs you by your waist and so you go for the latter. A loud wail leaves your mouth and you continue your screaming.

"Help! Someone help me!"

He slaps a hand over your mouth and carries your struggling body back inside the house. He slams the front door with his foot and removes an arm to lock it before carrying you upstairs back to your room. "I hate you! Let me go!"

"STOP IT!" His voice echoes off the walls and you stop struggling and start trembling.

You finally feel his grip loosen and you scramble back on the blanket you were on before. You hear rain start to patter on the roof top and tears fall just as quickly down your face. "My friends are gonna find you and they're gonna kill you."

He slams the door closed and locks it before returning to his spot on the floor. A hopeless feeling falls over your body and mind as you cuddle into the wall as thunder booms outside again. "Do you have something I can cover up with?"

He looks up from the floor and meets your gaze. He removes his huge jacket and throws it to you. You pick it up and lay it over your body as you pull your pillow under your head. You stare at the wall waiting for sleep to take you away and back home. You had never felt this powerless in your whole life and now you knew why people hated it.

Night comes and your sound asleep now. Soft snores and little breathes escape your lips as Beta watches over you. He tried to convince himself that you wouldn't try to escape again and sleep but that dreadful feeling of possibly being wrong made him stay wide awake.

He knew he couldn't keep you forever and only had a certain amount of time before your friends came looking and did find you. He wasn't going to make you fall in love with him but he really wished you would. This whole thing was scary to him and it always would be.

He never cared this deeply for someone and he never wanted to. He thought he loved Alpha but he didn't and he knew that for sure when he seen your bright eyes and soft skin for the first time.

Maybe it was for the best that she didn't love him back because after all; love made people weak and that was the last thing he needed right now.

Your relaxed face is almost beckoning to him. A large lump fills his throat and his stomach ties in knots as butterflies also set themselves free. He was happy you were here and yet he wasn't; because you weren't.

At day break Beta wakes you up and puts new restraints on your hands. He tests the lock on the door and the now fixed chair.

"I'm going out to find food; I'll back around noon or a little after."

"Wait you're gonna leave tied up?"

"Yeah, it's what you deserve after yesterday."

He grabs your wrist and places a watch on it before clicking a button on the side of it. The time on it reads 5:59:01 and gets lower with every passing second.

"What if you die out there? What do I do then? I'll die in here!"

"You better pray I don't." Beta snaps and steps out the door of the room.

"Can you please at least tell me your name?"

It's more of a beg then a question. Its almost like you're dying to know what his name is. His eyes meet yours and they almost look angry at you for asking; of which you can hardly see from lack of light from the morning sky.

Beta feels a slight spark of hope from this question but keeps his facade up. He debates giving up his name but hearing you say it could possibly will him to do anything.

"No."

The door slams and you hear the door lock before the chair slides into place under the knob. His footsteps soon following the noise until they're just silent. You stare silently at the door in hopes he'll soon return and let you loose while he's gone or at least give you his fucking name.

The new restraints are even more uncomfortable then just the handcuffs. Your hands are placed over a pole, preventing you from escaping the house; again. You finally decide it's best to go back to sleep.

You're jolted awake by someone shaking you and you don't meet Beta's eyes; you meet another stranger's eyes. You sit up and rub your eyes harshly.

"What are you doing here? If he finds you, he'll kill you!"

"I seen you trying to escape yesterday and I figured I'd save you," The man looks you over. "The whole town is looking for you."

"Hilltop?" You ask with tears in your eyes.

"Yeah! Even Paul is back looking for you."

Your heart soars happily at the news that your brother is alive and looking for you. The man makes quick work of the cuffs and helps you off the floor.

"We have to hurry before he gets back." You plead.

The man nods and helps you down the stairs to the slightly ajar door. You immediately notice the man's tense state and as quick as sound; the huge man charges towards him but you're shoved away last second as Beta grabs the smaller man and throws him at the door.

"Run!" The man yells.

And you do, you run despite your aching leg and arms. You run through the woods and leap over logs. Your lungs fill with the cold air and you stop when a struggling scream sounds from back at the house. Your heart tells you to go back but your head screams for you to run and as fast as possible.

Tears streak down your face and they make the house harder to see through the trees. You give into your heart and return to the house again as quickly as possible where the man is being beat by Beta. Beta has drawn one of his knives and is attempting to kill the man with it.

The man notices you standing there and quickly grabs his gun and tosses it harshly enough to hit you in your shin. "Shoot him!"

Beta is distracted long enough for the man to roll them over then get on top and turn the knife in Beta. "Kill him!"

You grab the gun and stand back to examine the situation. They're both struggling against one another and for some reason you don't wanna shoot the larger man but you aim the gun anyway and pull the trigger.

The gunshot echoes through the woods and the smell of gunpowder fills your nostrils as he falls limp.


	3. chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beta falls helplessly in love with a girl from Hilltop and follows her around to make sure she’s safe but when he intervenes during a fight in which she freaks out, he has to snatch her up to prevent the discovery of him and the whisperers but instead hides her away from both groups

Walkers growl loudly and the sounds echo in the forest. It was just you and Paul. You honestly didn’t care where your parents were, after the huge fight about Paul’s sexuality had split you up months ago, you never really seen them again and you sure as hell didn’t want to know.  
“Shit, I’m sorry. I thought this was the way, Y/N.”  
“Don’t stress, Paul, we’ll find our way somewhere safe.” You soothe him as he pulls you through the forest behind him.  
Poor Paul would lose his mind without you and it kind of broke your heart to think that way about it but it was the truth. You missed him so much and worried about him more with every passing day.

The smell of gunpowder makes your throat clench and your eyes water. His body lays limply and seems less tense. Beta sits up and pushes the man’s body off his own. Why didn’t you kill him? Hell you didn’t even know and he was holding you against your will. This could’ve been your chance to escape this house and run home to your brother who is no doubt waiting for you like the man said.

Beta is obviously confused about your choice too but you still have a gun so Beta makes no attempt to move towards you.The gun shakes violently in hand as you stare at the dead man lying at Beta’s feet. A low growl sounds from the man laying on the ground and while Beta is distracted, you grab a shovel off the ground.

You swing the shovel harshly and crack Beta across the head with it. His body hits the ground with a thump and you fall to your knees beside him and dig through his pockets for the keys to the car by the house.

The man growls loudly and sits up while you try to tug the keys from his large pocket. The key rips Beta's pants pocket and slides out the hole they have tore. Not being able to pull your hand free, you blindly fire shots at the man crawling towards you.

A bullet catches him in the head and he slumps to the ground. A hand wraps around your wrist and you swing around, firing a shot into Beta's shoulder. He screams and you finally free the keys from the pocket, falling on your back from the force you pulled them out.

Standing up, you make a break for the car. Beta sits up and grabs his knives to holster them before running after you. You barley get the car door open, when Beta slams it shut and pins you against the door with his body.

"I know you wanna go home but you can't, not yet. I'm try to protect you."

"From what?"

Goosebumps spread across your skin when Beta heaves a sigh against your neck. He moves away from you after taking the keys from your hand. "My group."

"Do you have her?" Alpha whispers to the larger man.  
"No, I don't know where you heard that from."  
"Andy said you seemed really touchy when he asked you where you were and it seems that the girl you love had an accident."  
"What happened?" Beta's lying through his teeth and he knows he could get killed for it.  
"Seems she had herself an uh-oh and either got bit or she died."  
Beta let's his face fall in sadness or grief rather. Alpha smiles at his pain before leaning in close enough to pull him to her height.  
"Issa good thang she got herself kill. Id've killed her myself if she hadn't died. Love makes you weak, soft and stupid. Do you understand?"  
"Yes ma'am."  
Alpha grins at him before strolling off across the camp grounds, leaving him to his thoughts and to be stared at by the camp, wondering what just happened.  
"At first it was to help you because you had hurt yourself and now it's because Andy got suspicious of where you went and brought it to Alpha's attention."

"That's Andy," You point at the body laying on the ground. "And he came here to what?"

"He came here to take you back to Alpha to prove that I'm not a good 2nd in command because I lied to her."

"Why do I matter?"

"Because you're human."

"If what you told me about you and your group is true, being human doesn't seem like an advantage for anyone."

Beta had told you everything. From the killing people to the skinning masks but left out the part where he was madly in love with you and would do anything for you, even die.

"You're different."

"Different how?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Okay, do you have a way that I can bathe and get a change of clothes?" You nod to your filthy body.

"I have some clothes I took from some women at the camp and there's a small lake nearby but I'll have to watch over you."

A look disgust or uncomfortableness doesn't flash across your face. You just stare at him and shrug. "Got any shorts?"

"I'll have to see."

"Do you mind if I stay out here? I'm not gonna run off, it's not like I'm gonna get anywhere far if I do."

"Yeah, stay put."

He stand up from the stairs and starts to head back inside. You grab Beta's pants and he peers down at you with his grey eyes and you stare blankly at him. "I'm sorry for hitting you with a shovel and ya know, shooting you."

Beta laughs. Not a scary "I'm gonna kill you" laugh but a happy laugh. One that pulls from deep in the pits of your stomach and makes tears well up in your eyes. Beta adjusts his mask and clears his throat.

"I'm sorry I lied to you for so long."

He heads inside and you feel smile tug at the corners of your mouth. Then you finally think about it; did you ever wanna actually wanna leave?

You had spent all this time trying to escape but never stopped to think about whether or not you had actually wanted to leave. Sure, you miss Paul and wanted to see him again.

Beta was so patient, kind, gentle and wasn't purposely rough with you unless you fought against him. You were stupid and an asshole, Beta was risking his life and you related him by being a huge bitch.

The porch creaks behind you and slowly, you turn around to face Beta. He holds out clothes for you and a teal towel. Taking the clothes, you stand up and wobble down the steps.

"You got it?" Beta asks.

"Definitely, have you seen me run from you?" You joke lightly as you walk stiffly towards the lake.

~~

"She has to still be alive to we would be found a body by now, we have to keep looking!" Paul yells, getting more frustrated with Gregory.

"We can't! The saviors being out there and walkers, we can't risk losing people over one person." He snaps back.

"That's.... my baby sister," He yells but allows his voice to fall the end. "I don't know what to do without her."

"You'll figure it." Gregory snaps and leaves the house completely.

Paul turns to Rick and wipes off the tears trailing his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to start that with you here." Paul's heart thunders in his chest and makes his head throb.

"Give me a photo and we'll keep a look out for her." Rick says looking around at the group.

"No, I couldn't make you do that."

"You're not, we're offering our help. I know what it's like to lose someone you love and know they're still alive then have no one believe me." Maggie cuts in taking Glenn's hand in her own.

"You're sure?" The hope on his face breaks the group's hearts.

"100% positive." Michonne says giving off s soft smile.

"I have a few photos upstairs, I could go get those."

"Yeah, we'll still be here when you get back." Abraham says as Paul races up the stairs to his bedroom.

He quickly throws the door open and pulls out the Polaroids box from underneath the bed. He gathers 10 or 12 photos then returns the box to the place underneath the bed. Paul rushes back down stairs and takes a deep breath.

"She found a camera about 2 months ago and took pictures of us, I hope these are clear enough."

"They're perfect, we'll certainly do our best to find her." Glenn assures the panicked man before them.

"This means a lot to me you guys, I can tell you how greatful I am."

"Hopefully we'll find your sister; alive." Maggie soothes and Paul's mind calms a bit.

Maybe they would, maybe you were out there still kicking and smiling about something stupid. Maybe you were on your way home now but all he could do was hope nothing horrible happened to you while you were out.

~~

The sun is setting over the horizon, making the sky a mix of colors. Beta wanted to brush your hair behind you ear or join you on the room to watch the sunset but instead he watches from the window that leads to the roof.

"Why don't you come up here?" You ask turning from the sun.

"I'll pass, come down and let's get some sleep."

You nod and climb off the roof back to the window to the room. You tumble slightly and Beta grabs your waist, gently setting you down.

"Thanks Beta."

He just nods, returning to the strong silent personality. You take his arm and pull him to the room to retire for the night. Laying on your palette, you curl up and cover yourself with the blanket Beta had brought back today. You clock your wrist to the pipe on the wall and get comfortable.

The room is quiet and your breathing shallows as you try to fall asleep. Beta's back is turned to you and you slowly pull yourself up on the pipe to look over at him. "Beta?"

He only grunts in response. "Will I ever get to go home?"

Beta debates the answer. He could always just force you to stay and convince you that the whisperers never stopped chasing you or that you couldn't go home. Maybe he would use that, "If you go home the whisperers might kill me and then you." He decides against it and just hopes you fall in love with him before you get to leave.

"Yeah, eventually."

A smile cuts your features and Beta stands up to lock the windows, draw the curtains and place his weapons in a firesafe. Closing your eyes, you lay there in silence for as long as you can hoping that you'll fall asleep.

Beta groans and rolls over on his side, facing you. You sit up, trying to stay quiet to let him sleep, after a rough day. Beta's face is peaceful and so relaxed, what you can see of it anyway.

Staring at Beta's sleeping face, leaving doesn't seem right anymore. Beta had never really kidnapped you, he just wanted to save you and that's what he had did.

The soft breathing from the huge man gives you some peace of mind, that no matter how fucked this world was; there was always gonna be helpful people like Beta.

You stare at your free wrist that have since been bandaged up. Sure, you were a little banged up but you were happy and it was without Paul. You had found happiness in someone other than your brother.

Laying back on your little living space, you stare at the ceiling of the room. One day you'd have to go back to Paul but today was not that day.

~~

Paul stares at the ceiling. His heart is hammering and tears spill from his eyes. He rolls over and stares at the framed pictures of his little sister with a huge grin on her face.

Y/N was grinning ear to ear while holding Tyler's baby, Tyler close behind her smiling at the laughing baby. Paul told himself that he would see her do that again and hear her laugh.

But in the back of his mind, Y/N was dead and he'd never hold her in a hug again. He'd never smile at her dumb antics in the gardens or be calmed by her soothing voice.

He lost her all because he couldn't stay fucking put.

It was all his fault.


	4. chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beta falls helplessly in love with a girl from Hilltop and follows her around to make sure she’s safe but when he intervenes during a fight in which she freaks out, he has to snatch her up to prevent the discovery of him and the whisperers but instead hides her away from both groups

The sun shines down on your skin and the beach waves roll onto the shore, making a soft, almost rustle sound, float through the air. The peaceful scene is disturbed by Paul yelling at your father.  
"I don't wanna like just girls!" Paul screams.  
"I don't want a faggot for a son! I don't wanna know my son's taking it up the ass!"  
Your mother frowns and shakes her head at the arguing. They've been at it for 30 minutes, every passerby has the same of 2 reactions; walk away and act like there's nothing happening or stop and stare.  
"They'll stop soon, I promise." Your mother soothes with a reassuring smile.  
A question drifts into your mind; What if they never stop? Would Paul leave and never come back home? Are you ever going to be a family again?  
You stand up and walk over to a fuming Paul. You grab his hand and tug on it gently. His eyes meet your's and soften considerable. You tug it harder and pull him with you. Taking off across the sand, headed back to the parking lot, you hear your father screaming at the 2 of you.  
Only running after, you were 18, what was he gonna do? Your eyes meet Paul's again and a smile stretches across your face. Later on that day, you both made a pact to yourselves and each other; You'd never leave each other for as long as humanly possible.  
The promise was long broken. Paul had left you that day and you left him when you went looking. If your dad could see you now, he'd laugh in both your faces.

Paul's face in your mind no longer felt like home but instead a very distant memory. As badly as you wanna go home, you couldn't and you knew why but that didn't stop the longing to be wrapped in a blanket on your shared bed while you both tell each other what happened when you were both gone.

You peek a look at Beta's back and wonder if he's still asleep or just laying there. You wanna call out to him, ask the same question you've asked everyday since he told you about the Whisperers: Will I ever get to go home?  
But you'd get the same reply: I don't know.  
Beta was not asleep, Beta was indeed laying with his eyes open, waiting for that same question and he'd lie to you every time and give you home. He knew you were never gonna be able to go home without getting hurt or worse: killed.

He wanted to take you home, so badly but he also didn't. Beta wanted you to love him back, desperately and maybe if he'd talk to you more, you might. But he just stayed silent and would stare at you.

Beta's arms sag by his side as he watches the young woman, you, at the front of the crowd of walkers yelling and leading them away from Hilltop. Alpha notices his stare focused on something and tries to pinpoint where.  
"What are you staring at?" She hisses and Beta jumps, sending a few walkers to the ground that he large body bumped.  
Other walkers move around the walkers that slowly drag themselves back up to keep moving, ignoring the giant "walker" that knocked them over. "Nothing."  
Alpha looks at you, now just making random noises, and back to her right hand man. She thinks she knows what he's staring at but she wants to hear it from his mouth.  
"Don't bother, she'd never love you back. Love makes you weak."  
Beta gets tired of hearing that. Just because she couldn't trust love, doesn't mean he couldn't. It wasn't even love, it was just an infatuation and he didn't intend to act on it.  
"It's not love." Beta snaps back a little louder than he intended.  
"It will be if you keep stalking her like a fucking weirdo."

Beta has nothing left to say to the tinier woman beside him and so he walks silently beside her, knowing he's lost the little argument between the 2.  
Your question doesn't come. Beta takes the silence of the room by surprise. It's deadly silent and he just stares at the wall in front of him, hoping you speak to him eventually before he has to cuff you to retire back to Whisperers to come up with another excuse to leave them again.

The room only stays silent and he curls a hand into a fist, in frustration with himself for being so obsessed with this girl. Maybe he should've just left well enough alone.

He should've left you alone, he should've stayed hidden, he shouldn't of killed those walkers, he should've of let you die but he was also glad he didn't. Maybe he should've killed the walkers then took off.

So many things he wished he did and didn't do. Beta couldn't change what he did and soon enough, something was gonna happen. He could just feel the fear creeping under his skin that you'd eventually die here.

Beta had given you a death sentence after saving you.

A strand of hair falls into your eyes and Beta watches you swipe it away before continuing writing on the map resting on your notebook in your hand. Your eyes scan the little area and you circle something on the map then walk to start catching up with Paul.  
"Jesus?" Your soft voice floats through the clearing.  
Beta couldn't get over the fact you called your brother Jesus. Maybe the hair, the beard and bright blue eyes or because his name might've been Jesus.  
You don't receive an answer and worry grows in your gut. Jesus never wanders far from you and now, you can't seem to see him or hear him approaching. A twig snaps around the side of the store and you follow the sound.  
Beta adjust his placement to watch you walk to the corner of the store, where Paul leaps out from behind the wall. You scream in terror and throw the notebook to the ground, ready to attack with your knife.  
Your brother busts out laughing and you pout with your arms crossed over your chest. Picking up the soiled map, you slap Paul's back and turn the wet paper around to see the damage done to the ink on it.  
"6 months of work, ruined! It's not funny Paul!" You're on the verge of tears.  
"I'm sorry." He replies between loud laughing.

"No you're not! You're so childish, this is why Gregory doesn't like us teaming up! He's gonna chew me out about the map."  
You storm off, throwing the map on the ground at his feet. You spot the large man in the tree line and do a quick look again but don't see the 6'5 man there anymore.  
"Lack of sleep, maybe." You tell yourself.  
The larger man wanted to punch Paul in the face for fucking with you and ruining the hard work you put into that map. He calms himself and watches Paul chase after you, apologizing a little more convincingly than a few seconds ago.  
The map is clutched in his fist as he runs by. Beta turns and nearly walks over a very angry looking Alpha. She has a gun in hand and raises it, pointing it at you, standing s mere few yards away talking to Paul.  
He thinks she's going to shoot you as soon as it steadies. The hammer clicks back and Beta wants to cover his ears or stop her but he knew deep in his mind that Alpha wouldn't risk exposing their group over his admittedly weird thing with you.  
She places her finger on the trigger and presses down on it. Beta waits to smell the gunpowder and listen to Paul scream in agony while he holds your dying body but none of that comes. A sick grin grows on Alpha's face.  
"Boom." She whispers and grins sadistically before strolling away with Beta in tow.  
You don't say anything, not even the mumbling to yourself. Beta waits to hear you waging a war with yourself but it never comes. He's not even sure you're awake and rolls over to look at you.

Your awake and he fucked up. There's tears carelessly falling down your face and you meet his eyes with your own. Neither of you look away and he watches your pupils dilate. The crying makes your lips plump and face blotched with red.

"Why are you crying?"

Beta cringes at the anger in his voice. Why is he angry that you're crying? He's not and he knows exactly why you're crying. You long for the place you call home and you're getting the idea you'll never going home.

"I'm never going home."

He was right, you eventually figured it out. No one, not even the Whisperers would stop looking for you and you'd die here, with a man who wasn't your family. His eyes follow your wiggling movements and he let's out s huff of air.

"Just tell me the truth, Beta."

His name leaving your mouth makes him shiver and the warmth in your eyes had held for him faded over the last few days. Everytime he said he didn't know when you could go home, the eyes became less and less understanding.

"You have to leave today, I'll be stuck here by myself until you come back; if you come back." You say adjusting your wrist cuffed to the steel pipe near your head.

"I'll come back, I always do."

"Why did you save me, honestly and don't give me that because you're human bullshit."

"It's the truth."

Beta watches your face gauge the statement before you abruptly turn away from him. He notices the blood building on the dressing on your leg.

"I need to fix your leg bandage before I leave."

"Don't leave me." Paul whispers.  
"I wouldn't dream of it." You reply softly.  
Paul stares out at the rising sun that sheds light across the tops of the trees. You know he's thinking about something that's bothering him as you watch his brows furrow in what looks like sadness.  
"Do you think that maybe, sometimes we'd be better off dead?"  
You wish you could say you don't but you both know you'd be lying. Sometimes, yes; you think being dead would be better than whatever the next day holds but as long as you had Paul, everything didn't seem so bad as long as you faced it together.  
Of course it wasn't a question he wanted an answer to, he was just thinking out loud but in his mind, Paul wanted to know if you ever thought death was the better option.  
You cry, harder than you ever have when Beta leaves. Not because he left but because you'll never see Paul again, you'll never live anywhere else but this house for the rest of your days. Your life was now numbered by the days until Alpha finds out that Beta's hiding you.

You want Paul, you wanna go home, you want to watch over the people of hilltop and you want to know why this actually happened to you. Everything is too much and it seems that no matter what you ask or do, you'll never get what you desire.

The door crashes open and you're immediately greeted sitting up, thinking you'll be met by Beta but instead, a very unhappy looking woman stands there in the doorway.

"Who are you?" You ask in terror as the woman hides what looks like a walker's face behind her back.

"Doesn't matter sweet thing. You're alive and people have been looking for you."

"I don't understand. How did you know I was here? Who are you?"

The woman's smile makes your stomach cringe and heart speed up. Those wicked eyes hold no relief but something more sinister; enjoyment from your torment. "Beta's gonna be here-"

"Ah, so Beta had been hiding you. He's got a shit show started or as they say where I'm from; he's far up shit creek without a paddle."

Your eyes widen and the more fear that shows on your face, makes her smile even bigger. You fucked up, big time at that. You'd just given Beta up to none other than-

"I'm Alpha, it's nice to finally meet you Y/N."

Beta's heart leapt into his throat as he tears through the woods, hoping to catch Alpha before she finds you in the house. He was dead, you were dead and it was all his fault for believing Alpha didn't know about you.

He comes to the edge of the clearing and Alpha stands there, bloody knife in hand. It had taken Beta a little over 3 hours to get back from his camp and it was too late.

"What did you do!?" Beta asks approaching the tiny woman who seems too calm to have just killed someone.

"She's gone." Alpha replies simply. "I killed her quickly and let some whisperers dispose of her body in the river nearby."

Beta was horrified, his eyes glaze over with unshed tears and for the first time in years, Beta's heart breaks. It hurts so bad, he thinks Alpha might've heard it break.

"Might wanna go find her, she's gonna turn. I left that for you to do since you love her so much." Alpha says placing her walker mask back on and leaving the front steps.

Beta's eyes watch your hands as you dip the rag in the lukewarm water and return it to his face to wipe off the black makeup around his eyes.  
"You have very pretty eyes." You say and Beta hopes you can't see the blush that flares across his cheeks.  
He doesn't respond to you as you carefully continue your task of cleaning his face off. He watches you tongue poke out of your mouth as you concentrate.  
"You're actually quite handsome Beta." You say with a little smirk.  
His heart flutters and his mind reacts like a school boy, making his thoughts giddy. You're flirting with the huge man, even thought that's what he hopes is happening, he passes it off as you being friendly.  
Beta can hear your voice in the wind, he can smell you in the grass and see your face in his mind and it all breaks his heart more.

He searches the woods for you, knowing that when he finds you that he'll have to kill you to save you from aimlessly wandering the woods for anything to eat, human or animal.

Finally, he hears gurgled growls and scans the river to find where the sound is coming from. He spots those jean shorts that he gave you a few days ago and that's it for him. He knows it you but it couldn't be, could it?

Y/S/C seemed paler than earlier and your hair was mangled and bloody. You turn to face the large man and he almost pukes. Your face is too mutilated to tell if it's actually you.

The leg wound, the clothes and hair all says it is but your body looks wrong but Beta knows no one looks right after they die. Beta readies his knife and "you" approach him.

One clean stab does the trick. Your body stiffens and falls back on the river bank with a loud thunk. Beta turns away from your body and walks away, leaving you on the edge of the river.

Beta forces himself to come to terms that you're dead and he'll never see you after he leaves the river behind. He probably won't see tomorrow if Alpha has a choice.

As he approaches the house to gather all the stuff he brought there, Beta decides he's not going back to the Whisperer camp, he's going to find your brother and tell him what happened.

Beta was going to tell Paul the truth, every bit of it.

Your eyes stare into Beta's. It looks like you want to lean in from your stare that keeps falling to his lips. Beta wants to tell you no, to not let you keep this up but his willpower seems to have withered away.  
He almost frowns when you nervously look away and laugh.  
"I'm so stupid." You giggle as you sit beside him.  
"What?"  
"For a second I thought you were falling for me."  
Beta laughs along with you to make him seem less guilty of being in love with you. Your head falling against his shoulder makes his laughter die into a chuckle then silence.  
He lets you fall asleep on his arm. Beta watches your peaceful expression with pure amazement and love.  
Every passing second Beta fell more in love with you and he knew he should've stopped but in the end, Beta fucked himself.


	5. chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beta falls helplessly in love with a girl from Hilltop and follows her around to make sure she’s safe but when he intervenes during a fight in which she freaks out, he has to snatch her up to prevent the discovery of him and the whisperers but instead hides her away from both groups

The sun slightly warms the air as Beta holds the rifle up on his shoulder. He hears growling from undead tied to trees or hung from them by ropes around their necks.

The wind riles up the smell of something burning, a mix between leaves and dead walker bodies. The rotten smell is drowned out by the blowing wind, carrying it somewhere else.

The grass glistems from the rain that pelted everything earlier that morning. The sound of Beta's feet crunching on gravel alert the dead but they turn away thinking he's another one of the undead passing by.

The sounds of guns and yelling fall deaf to his ears as he thinks of your voice to keep him walking to find your brother. Walkers move around him, bumping him or tripping onto their faces.

He even hears a wolf or 2 growling or howling for something. He walks past a few walkers eating what's left of a human who's now growling and reaching out for anything that passes by.

The road ahead seems to stretch on forever until it curves behind the trees out of his sight. A doe perks her head up as he walks past then races off, with her 2 young chasing after her.

Your hands rub over Beta's face as you inspect it closely. His eyes find your loving ones and a soft grin captures the happiness in your body. He grabs your wrists and pulls your hands to rest on top of his before pulling them up to place kisses on each one.  
"I love you." Beta sighs into your knuckles.  
"Why didn't you tell me? I loved you too."  
Beta's eyes search for on coming traffic of walkers or cars but comes up empty. He's alone and it leaves an eerie feeling in his heart especially after having you around so long.

He'd lost count of how many days he had you and it still wasn't enough to satisfy his need for you. Beta wanted hold you and smell your hair, he wanted to kiss, to watch you dance through fields, he wanted to hold your hand and listen to you hum songs that used to play on radios.

The day drags on but Beta keeps walking forward, sweat dripping off his forehead and hands in tight fists. He imagines Paul's reaction to the news of your death and his stomach cringes.

He walks the rest of the day and night. Even as the sun appears, he just keeps walking towards hilltop. A loud twig snapping catches his attention but the woods are empty as far as he can see.

Beta fears the whisperers are closing in or following him.

~~

Beta stares at the setting sun that's straight ahead as he walks within a walker group. His fingers feel numb from the cold air blowing through Georgia.

He knew Alpha was angry with him and more than likely going to come after him sooner or later but for the first time in forever, Beta felt guilty for letting someone die. He believes he owes Paul an explanation for what had happened to you.

His legs wobble after walking for almost a full 2 days in a row now. He veers off the road and towards an old town where he can sleep for the night.

Beta's legs are fuzzy feeling and the bitter wind grows harsher as the sky grows darker around him. He checks around town for the most stable place to stay for the night and decides on a roof on the other side of town.

He was used to being alone but for some reason, a longing feeling had filled his chest at the sight of the sun almost fully set. He closes his eyes and your excited face about how pretty the sunsets are flashes across his mind.

Beta rolls over and tries block out the little sliver of sun still cascading light. He's never missed someone this much in his whole life and he hates it.

Tears threaten his eyes and he sits up before snatching off the walker mask. He quickly dries his eyes with the backs of his hands, but anger soon takes over the sadness. Anger at Beta for killing you, at you for making him fall even harder and especially himself for thinking it would've worked in the first place.

Anger bubbles through his skin and he roars before punching the roof as hard as possible. His hand cracks and he screams in pain before rolling onto his back cradling the broken hand in his good one.

He stares at the sunset and tears once again fill his eyes but he doesn't stop them this time because to him, you were worth every tear.

Beta closes his eyes and readies himself to fall asleep until something gets knocked over on the roof. Before he can jolt completely to his feet, a foreign object cracks him the back of the head.

He blacks out and comes to several times as his body is dragged into the woods. His eyes can't focus on anything but the smell of walker flesh tells him he's being captured by his own group.

The walker mask is tore from his face and a very angry Alpha comes nose to nose with him as his eyes try to focus on her face, not the aching in his skull.

"You don't deserve this." Alpha growls as she sets the mask on fire.

Beta's eyes start drifting around the small tent like room and he feels hands on his thighs. They trail up towards his crotch and he tries to talk while rolling his hips away.

"Don't you want this? You lusted after me for years and now what? Some little skank tore your attention away?"

His hands yank at the unstable thing he's tied to. She unbuttons his jeans and he slithers around in his spot to get away from her but his head begs him to stop because of the migraine.

Your face flashes across his mind and he remembers how much anger fills his heart towards Beta after what she had done to you.

Alpha starts slipping his pants down his legs and he screams before ripping his hands free. His fist collides with her nose, no doubt breaking it and he lifts himself up off the ground.

He fixes his pants and flees while removing the rope from his wrists. The other whisperers watch and some try to stop him. Bless the poor souls who try to stop the large man fleeing the camp as quickly as his large body can move.

He hears Alpha screaming in either agony or anger for them to catch him. He rushes down a hill and stumbles over rocks or large fallen trees. He grabs a gun laying on the edge of camp and fires it at the walkers gathering nearby.

They start intruding the camp as he makes his getaway. He hopes the rifle is still up on the building since the whisperers had no use for guns.

He hears people screaming in agony and runs until the screams are faded into the distance. Not a single nights rest and almost raped by a woman he used to love.

Beta comes around the corner and races into town, rocks push up under his shoes. Beta finds the building he was on before gathering his stuff up off the roof then running again.

The pounding in his head is growing again and he finally finds a tiny shed off the main road then flees inside it. He lays on the shed floor and his breathing starts to shallow, he knows what's happening to him and yet he's not scared.

Blood surrounds his head laying his jacket and his vision blurs, not a sleepy blur. His vision focuses again and he's no longer in the tiny cold and dark shed; instead he's sitting beside you, head rested on yours that's on his shoulder.

The sunset is beautiful and he lifts his head to look at you lightened by the sun. You lift up and look into his eyes, the edges in his vision wavers. Tears falls down your face and Beta wipes them away before kissing you.

"Beta..." You whisper.

"I know." He responds.

He gently lays you back and pulls off your shorts that you're wearing. His hand slips into your underwear and he slips a finger into you. You moan and rut against his finger.

"I love you, Beta."

Everything dissolves and he notices a face above his, a rather familiar one. His eyes are still blurry but he can tell there's people with said person. He thinks it's Alpha for a second until the figure speaks.

"That's him!" A voice says too loudly for him.

"Yeah, he saved Y/N from walkers that night!"

"I thought he was a creeper but I guess he just wanted to keep us safe."

Beta coughs and the taste of iron touches his tongue. He winces and tries to roll but is held in place by several pair of hands. There's no fight left in his body, at least for now but he greatful for whoever found him.

"I'm Paul." The figure above him says.

"Paul..." Beta repeats back to him and then coughs again, this time it makes him dizzy with pain.

"We're gonna get you fixed up, she'll be excited to see you."

She? Who's she? Was he talking about you?

"She's dead." Beta sighs as his eyes close again before trying to move up.

"Take it easy." Paul says ignoring his statement and pushing him back down.

The world starts to waver and his eyes close tightly to block out their flash lights. They start saying his name to keep him conscious and the chant slowly fades.

~~

A bright light shines in his eyes and he shifts his head away from it. The feeling of something tight on his head makes him try to reach for his head but the feeling of cold metal stops it. He opens his eyes despite his brain's protest and looks around the rather large room.

The bed is softer than anything he's ever slept on and the bed wear is a soft teal and yellow. He peaks at the handcuffs on one wrist then a picture catches his eye.

It's a picture of you and your brother, Paul at the beach. Beta looks at you 2 and notices how much you resembled each other. He finds his eyes drifting across your hair flowing in the breeze to the water crashing behind the 2 of you.

The bedroom door opens and Paul approaches the huge man with his hand protecting pain killers. Beta sits up some and stares at the young man who hands him the pills with a glass of what looks like whiskey.

"It'll help with the pain, I know it's not ideal but I just thought it would be nice." Paul explains as he takes the pills.

Paul takes the empty glass back and sets it aside before pulling out the keys to the cuffs. He unlocks them and allows Beta to rub his sore wrist.

"Here, let me take you to the shower and allow you to use it then change. You smell like the dead and have visitors waiting."

He doesn't argue with Paul and let's him show him the bathroom before letting him run to grab him some clean clothes, a towel and a rag.

After Paul leaves, he notices some female and male products in the bathroom. He's guessing this was your bathroom along with Paul. How could they trust him enough to let him roam free?

He knows Paul doesn't know about your death and feels guilty not telling him about you. He assumes that it'd be better when his head isn't severely hurt.

Beta unwraps the bandages from his head and touches the back of his head. There is a shaved spot where stitches are carefully placed. It easily hideable, so he doesn't care as much about the missing hair.

Paul returns with his things and a few changes of clothes in case some don't fit. He leaves and let's Beta clean himself of the last few months. The warm water slides off his body almost pitch black in color.

Beta makes sure to scrub himself clean at least 5 times before climbing out of the shower. He applies deodorant, some cheap cologne and brushes his hair before pulling it up over the stitches.

He stares at his clean reflection and exits the bathroom, holding his freshly cleaned coat that Paul hung on the door while he was showering. He slips it on and looks up to the bed he was sleeping in.

You sit there with a smile on his face and Beta stares at you in pure shock. Paul is standing beside her with an understanding smile.

"I have a lot of explaining to do, please come sit down."


	6. chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beta falls helplessly in love with a girl from Hilltop and follows her around to make sure she’s safe but when he intervenes during a fight in which she freaks out, he has to snatch her up to prevent the discovery of him and the whisperers but instead hides her away from both groups.

Beta's eyes closed again and Paul gently lifts his head. It takes the whole 4 people to lift Beta onto the makeshift stretcher, which they were afraid would break under his huge frame, and put him in the back of their truck.  
Paul sits beside the larger man and uses zip ties to secure his wrists. Paul blinks down at the man and feels an uneasiness with him being around.  
You were finally back at Hilltop resting after your big adventure. You attempted to tell Paul the truth but exposing the Whisperers would pose a bigger threat than Negan and you didn't want that kind of pressure on your brother.  
Just get home and "Hey! There's people that roam around the woods in walker skin and told me to fake my death or they'd kill our whole group!"  
More importantly you couldn't mention Beta had kidnapped you but you could mentioned he saved your life, on multiple occasions.  
Paul didn't want to look for him, but the sadness in your eyes at the thought of him being hurt or dying out there without knowing the truth or hurt period, made him leave Hilltop in search for Beta.

You wanted to let Beta know that you weren't dead and give him somewhere to stay for good. But you knew deep down that he wouldn't stay and for some reason that made your heart throb in pain.  
~~  
When Paul came through the gates with Beta and ordered doctors to his room to fix him up, you were so happy. You followed them and rubbed Beta's hand in a soothing way as he ducked in and out.

He was restrained while they gave him stitches and he kept trying, very gently, to break free of his cuffs. You found yourself crying as you watched Beta wiggle around in pain.

They finish helping him with his injuries and everyone leaves the room, including Paul. You stay and rub Beta's bandaged head.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to." Is all you can say as tears clog your eyes and a lump forms in your throat.

You're not sure why you cared about him but you did.

Beta couldn't breathe. There you were, sitting on the bed with a sad expression. Paul had left you 2 alone and Beta felt like he was going insane.

He stares at you with furrowed brows and down in a chair across the room. He just can't look at you right now and not feel betrayed or stupid.

"Beta, I'm sorry." Your voice is soft and sincere.

Your body looks less tensed and the bruises on your skin are faded. You look like a completely different person when your actually scrubbed clean and wearing clothes that fit. Your hair is kept up now and Beta notices how much prettier you are (if that was possible) now that you're home.

He won't talk to you or even look in your direction and it's breaking your heart. He hears you walk over near him and feels tiny warm hands rest on his.

"I didn't want to do that to you, I'm sorry."

"Then why did you?"

"Come sit down and I'll explain it to you."

"I don't care to hear it."

"The doors are open now Beta if you wanna leave."

You both sit there and Beta watches your breathing become uneven and your eyes avoid his. He's watching your body become tense and he knows he shouldn't leave.

The whole thing made him sick, he shouldn't have fell for her and being as far away from her as possible seemed like a great idea. They were polar opposites and he was told from the get go; "She'll never love you back, Beta."

"I have to stay, I need to hide from the whisperers for as long as I can."

"Okay, we'll get you set up with a room and some more clothes to wear."

Beta watches your eyes trail his clean face while he stands by the door. You know he notices your staring and yet, you don't care to look away. You stand up and head to the door.

"I was right, you are cute under all that black makeup."

Beta huffs and follows you out. He notices your limp is less noticeable as the wound has been cleaned better and stitched properly. "You won't like Gregory, he's our leader and he can't seem to find women's eyes."

"You've met my brother, he found another group when he was missing; thus why he went missing. Oh and another thing.... we have another group that comes here and takes half our supplies every month but I usually avoid facing them."

"You're afraid?"

Beta can picture the fear on your face, the same fear from when you first laid eyes on him, as you stare at the group taking your stuff. He can imagine your trembling form and teary eyes.

"No, I just hate them and their leader has a foul mouth. Just the way he talks to women, it's better than him touching us without permission I suppose but he's fully against that."

He's never heard you talk this much and so excitedly for him to be around. Happiness. He'd never been around you when you were genuinely happy. The way your lips are curled as you talk, the emotion your eyes hold, the pep in your step and the relaxed atmosphere surrounding you.

Once outside, Paul approaches you with a group of people close behind. Rick's group stops short and Beta stands close behind you. Paul smiles and walk up to the middle space between you.

"Y/N. Beta. This is Glenn, Maggie, Abraham, Rosita, Carl, Rick, Sasha, Michonne, Carol, Daryl and Eugene. Guys this is Y/N and her guy friend, Beta."

Guy friend. The words echo through both your minds. Did Paul think something was going on between you? He couldn't, he always knew everything about situations like this.

"Gregory wants to see all of us in the house please follow-"

The sound of the gates opening makes everyone stop and stare, Gregory even exits the house. The group sent to Negan enters the gates before they close and everyone watches Gregory meet them half way.

Beta steps closer to you as you approach the group walk who just returned home. A knife glistens in the sunlight and before you can stop it, it's rammed into Gregory's stomach.

The fight breaks out and Beta watches you hurl yourself into it, trying make peace between Rick's and Frank's group. A woman in the little group, tosses you down on the group and you cry out in agony when they hear your stitches tear in your leg.

Beta grabs the woman with ease and throws her away from you. Blood spills through the jeans you're wearing and soon everyone is done and calm. Beta rubs the tense muscles around the busted stitches until Dr. Carson get his helpers to rush you and Gregory inside.

"I gotta stop busting these. It's gonna leave an ugly scar."

"Hello Y/N." One of Carson's helpers say entering the room.

"Hey Finn."

"Are you together?"

"Why does that matter?" You snap and cross your arms.

"I didn't want you to be uncomfortable since we were taking your pants off."

"Oh... uh... Beta can you step out?"

A pang of jealousy shoots through him but he just nods and steps out of the medical trailer.

Paul sees Beta and waves at him with a smile. Beta just stares at the ground and finally hear the gravel under Paul's feet. "Hey Beta."

Beta just grunts in response to him. Paul leans against the trailer too and looks up at the cloudless sky. "I don't know if I ever thanked you for saving my sister."

"You did, several times."

"Well I obviously can't thank you enough. Y/N really likes you." Beta looks up at Paul who turns to face him. He places a hand on the taller man's shoulder. "Don't break her heart."

Beta's face twist in confusion as Paul leaves back to the awaiting group. Finn's head pokes out and he motions Beta in, stepping out himself. You perk up at the sight of Beta and he feels the dread fill his heart.

"Wanna carry me to bed?" You giggle while covering your mouth.

Beta just helps you up and helps you across Hilltop. People smile at you, excited you're okay and able to mostly walk by yourself. Beta knew he was becoming soft all because the stupid thing beating in his chest being attached to the young girl beside him.

You move away from Beta and over to your brother who is talking to everyone standing around. Rick sees you first and Michonne looks over at you too. “You feeling alright?”

“Yeah, nothing I can’t handle.”

Maggie and Glenn are staring at the huge man behind you, watching everyone like they might get you hurt again. The gentle giant moves closer to you and everyone tries not to stare at the walker face covering his real face.

“How long have you and Y/N known each other?” Maggie asks trying to not seem rude for staring.

Beta doesn’t say anything, he just looks away and places a hand on your shoulder as if hinting you need to go upstairs and rest.

“I’m gonna head upstairs and lay down for awhile. It was nice meeting you all.”

You limp away and to the stairs. Beta puts his arm around your waist and basically carries you up the stairs. Everyone watches the 2 disappear and Paul still has a warm smile, like a giant man who looks like a walker isn’t in his home.

“What’s the story behind that?” Glenn asks with a worried look.

“I have no idea but she’s happy and safe.” Paul says and walks to Gregory’s office to see if he’s ready to talk to Maggie.

“Can I read to you?” You ask closing your book slightly to look at the man at the end of the bed.

“Why?”

“I don’t know. You seem like you like books and maybe basketball. Get it? ‘Cause you’re tall. Or maybe I’m small.”

“Go ahead and read for me.”

“Okay! Come lay down beside me.”

Beta kicks off his boots. His heart is racing but he doesn’t act like it. He just deadpans like usual and climbs into the bed beside you. The bed dips and you scoot into Beta’s side, making sure he can see the book too. (Actual sentence from The 5th Wave. Pg.72)

“An hour before Dawn. Our last day at Camp Ashpit. A Sunday.”

Beta listens to your voice and lets his eyes follow along the sentences. He slowly finds himself so immersed in your voice, he doesn’t notice that you stopped a few pages later and fell asleep. When he finally notices, the book has slipped out of your hand and landed in the tiny space between the 2 of you.

He moves the book to the nightstand and starts to move off the bed. A tight grip on his trench coat, makes him stop. Your knuckles are white from holding on so tight and he decides to lay back down.

His fingers slowly move to your forehead, where some stray hairs are. He brushes them away and stares at you.

Beta wants to bash Rick's head in for putting you in danger immediately after you got home. The only thing stopping him was the grasp you have on his trench coat.

Your nose scrunches and you roll over slightly, tossing your arm over his side and laying your head on his outstretched arm. Beta can hear your breathing getting heavy and you grabbing his trenchcoat again.

Your eyeballs race back and forth under your eyelids, sweat builds on your forehead and you become frigid. He hasn't a clue on what he should do to calm you down.

You're having a nightmare; he knows that bit he hasn't calmed someone down in…. Well ever.

He tries to think of ways he's seen other people do it.

Beta starts to hum that stupid song he swore he'd hated, the one you always hummed to yourself at night when you would cry to go home or for paul. His free hand starts to rubs your hair and the thumb makes slow circles know your cheekbones.

'You are my sunshine.

My only sunshine.

You make me happy; when skies are grey.

You'll never know dear, how much I love you.'

Your eyelids flutter open but droop shut just as quickly as they'd opened. You relax again and snore softly. Beta watches you roll into his chest and curl into him for whatever reason.

Beta didn't know why you felt safe with him. He had kidnapped you, hurt you, emotionally drained you and even kept you trapped in a house for weeks just because of an unhealthy obsession.

'Dear god,' Beta thinks to himself.


End file.
